Kirkkonummi

The municipality is located just outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, bordering the city of Espoo in the east. Other neighbouring municipalities are Vihti and Siuntio. The distance from the municipal centre to central Helsinki is some . Kirkkonummi also has excellent train and bus connections to other parts of the Greater Helsinki area, and many of its inhabitants commute daily to Helsinki. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. ==History==

Kirkkonummi has been populated from the Stone Age to the present day as evidenced by the first Stone Age rock paintings found in Finland that are located by lake Vitträsk in the central lake region of Kirkkonummi. Incidentally, these paintings were found by the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The southern half of the municipality was leased to the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1956 for use as a naval base as part of the peace settlement that ended the hostilities between the Soviet Union and Finland during World War II. Signs of this time include concrete bunkers, other fortifications and the remains of an airbase. ==Demographics==

Results of the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election in Kirkkonummi: • National Coalition Party 30.7% • Social Democratic Party 16.8% • True Finns 16.3% • Swedish People's Party 14.3% • Green League 10.1% • Centre Party 4.4% • Left Alliance 3.6% • Christian Democrats 2.3% ==Attractions==

Places of interest located in Kirkkonummi include the medieval stone church in the municipal centre, the wooden church in the village of Haapajärvi, as well as the Hvitträsk manor designed by Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren. ==Notable people==

• Herman Gesellius (1874–1916), architect • Seidi Haarla (born 1984), actress • Jani Hakanpää (born 1992), professional ice hockey player • Kai Meriluoto (born 2003), professional footballer • Laura Närhi (born 1978), pop singer • Daniela Owusu (born 2004), first Black woman to portray Saint Lucy in national celebrations • Riikka Purra (born 1977), politician • Eero Saarinen (1910–1961), architect ==International relations==

Twin towns — Sister cities Kirkkonummi is twinned with: • Sundbyberg, Sweden • Paldiski, Estonia == See also ==